A federal judge in North Carolina has barred state lawmakers from obtaining investigative files tied to the Aug. 22, 2025, fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail system, citing concerns that disclosure could prejudice the defendant’s rights.
Authorities arrested DeCarlos Brown Jr. in connection with Zarutska’s death after he allegedly stabbed the 23-year-old on the light rail, CatholicVote reported in September 2025. Brown, who has a history of mental health issues and prior criminal charges, faces a state murder charge and a separate federal charge.
According to The Charlotte Observer, Brown’s federal public defenders asked the court this week to prevent North Carolina’s General Assembly House Oversight Committee from obtaining the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department’s criminal investigative files related to the case. They argued that releasing the materials could violate Brown’s constitutional rights to due process and a fair trial.
In a four-page order issued Jan. 15, U.S. Magistrate Judge David Keesler granted a preliminary protective order, saying the court found “good cause” to restrict access to the files.
Keesler wrote that “the Defendant has sufficiently shown release of the materials may prejudice his constitutional rights to due process and a fair trial, and may cause other harms, including risking the safety of witnesses.”
The ruling extends an earlier order that already barred the release of law enforcement audio and video recordings from the incident.
Court records show Brown’s legal team filed the emergency motion after learning Jan. 14 that the police department may have already sent investigative materials to lawmakers. Keesler’s order specifies that if any files were already provided, recipients are prohibited from further disclosing or releasing them without court authorization.
Zarutska’s death drew national attention after the Charlotte Area Transit System on Sept. 9, 2025, released graphic video footage of the incident online, CatholicVote reported in September. President Donald Trump, who addressed the killing on social media the day prior, said Brown had been arrested on separate charges 14 times before the August attack.
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